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Old 05-27-2011, 02:36 AM   #4
Prestidigitweeze
Fledgling Demagogue
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Poppaea View Post
But we still would like to "hear" from them, wouldn't we? How about " would like/love you to join in" or something like that?
Believe it or not, I actually thought about that.

Because English syntax is fundamentally imperfect and its vocabulary so vast, usage and logic are often the most important parts of style. Despite the apparent reference to our second sense, the phrase "hear from you" is used colloquially to mean any sort of communication. It's acceptable (and common) to say you've heard from someone who recently wrote you a letter.

The complication comes with the use of the word voice. The only context in which we'd use it would be if we were describing our sense of the person or character behind a literary work, as in the phrase, "I decided not to make the essay too formal because I wanted it to be in my voice."

It's easy to see how someone might look at the above example and assume that voice was a synonym for written communication. Unfortunately, usage is more complicated than that. You can hear from a correspondent, but you can only hear their voice if you're specifically and clearly indicating your sense of the person in the style and tone of the language itself.
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